Corn buttering device



Jan. 4, 1949- V. VOLPINI CORN BUTTERING DEVICE Filed Dec. 13, 1947 Fig.2. II/

IN V EN TOR.

the corn kernels.

Patented Jan. 4, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORN BUTTERING DEVICE Vincent Volpini, Springfield, Mm.

Application December 13, 1947, Serial No. 791,567

2 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in a corn buttering device and it is the principal object thereof to provide an improved construction which may be employed in dining rooms and the like as a device to facilitate in the desired preparation of corn-on-the-cob by simplifying the procedure of adding butter to the kernels prior toeating.

With the above primary object in view, it is a further object to provide a means for buttering which will eliminate the now present objectionable inconveniences suflered by one eating buttered corn and which will operate with a maximum amount of ease and a minimum degree of effort, inasmuch as by such means, the necessity for the users handling butter in the more conventional manner is completely obviated.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts thereof as will fully appear by the perusal of the following specification and claims.

Broadly my invention comprises a holding means for receiving a supply of butter and a piston means in engagement therewith by which the butter supply is urged forwardly through an apertured member and accordingly is brought into the desired position for application upon By means of my invention, the process of buttering is simplified and the resultant effect is to accomplish a distribution of butter over the area being covered which is more even and smooth than can be accomplished by the manual means heretofore in common usage.

The device is so designed that it can be held conveniently in the hand wnile being used, and after use it can be set aside until called into use again without the loss of any of the contents therein.

The invention includes means adapted to form a receptacle which is designed to receive and to hold freely butter or the like and to emit same through openingsformed in the bottom of the receptacle when such is desired thereby making it possible for a person to apply butter in an expeditious manner and to be relieved of the tedium usually attending the act of spreading butter with a knife.

Among still further objects of my invention are: first, to provide an apparatus which is constructed of relatively simple and cheap parts which are adapted to be readily assembled and which when once assembled are positively and securely retained in operative relation; second, to secure a high degree of accuracy in the per- 2 formance of the work performed therewith; third, to attain a high degree of speed in construction of the device due to its simplified structure; fourth, to attain an ease in adjustment and repairs, and fifth, to provide a device which is simple in its operation and economical :in its manufacture.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying description of the invention, in

the present preferred form thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view of a corn :butterer embodying the novel features of theinvention; 1

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the device of the invention with certain parts in section for purposes of clarity;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the apertured device of the invention;

Referring now to the difl'erent drawings more in detail wherein like figures refer to like parts throughout the several figures and referring more particularly to the preferred form of my invention, which has been selected for illustrative purposes, the drawings illustrate a corn butterer A which is formed with a. cylindrical body portion l0 having a bottom wall 12. It will be understood however that shapes other than a cylindrical shape may be substituted for the shape disclosed herein; for example the body portion It! could be square or triangular in shape.

.These parts may be made of metal or plastic or the like and may be made separately or in one piece.

The bottom wall I! is secured to the body portion In to for an air-tight joint therewith as by welding or the like although it will be understood that the bottom wall i 2 could be in threaded engagement with the body portion I0 so as to permit replacement of one or the other of the arts as necessity might require.

The :body portion I 0 having an inner wall ll together with the bottom wall member l2, having an inner wall ll provide a chamber I! there- 3 within, which chamber is adapted to receive and contain material such as butter or the like for purposes as will presently be described.

The bottom wall I2 is curved in cross-section as shown in Fig. 3 so as to conform more easily to the curvature of an ear of corn with which this device is intended for use. Thus, as the device is passed forwardl and rearwardly along any set of adiacentrows of kernals of an ear of com, the bottom wall is in close proximity therewith as will shortly be seen to be desired.

As will be seen, the bottom wall I2 is fitted in a manner so that an air tight joint is obtained as aforementioned and further so that between the members l and I! no ridge or enlarged portion results on the outer surface of either member to which butter or other material would adhere as would be the case were these lowermost edges not smooth in their finish.

The member I2 is formed with a plurality of openings l6 which are positioned and proportioned in size to form the desired vacuum within the chamber l when the end of the member I0 is closed so as to hold the material within the chamber i5 and to retain same therewithin until emission is desired by means of the apertures by which the chamber is in communication with the area to be affected.

Around the member ID an annular ring I! is displayed which is adapted to facilitate manual engagement of the device when same is in use. It will be understood however that same might also consist of bosses which could be placed on opposing sides of the member i0 and it is not desired to be limited to the form shown in the attached drawings.

In cooperation with the member ID, there is provided a piston l8 which is slidably engageable within the member N in the well known manner. The outer wall I9 of the member l8 and the inner wall ll of the member ii) are each smooth in their finish as is necessary in the case where the parts are reciprocal to each other.

The piston i 8 is slidabiy receivable within the body member ill and is snugly fitted so that the same will move therewithin when manually actuated by the user through the application of pressure so as to push or pull the piston member when it is in cooperative engagement with the body member as shown in Fig. 1.

The uppermost portion of the member I8 is provided with a knob or head portion 20 which is adapted-to be engageable by the hand of the user. The head portion 20 may be of any desired configuration although in the form shown it is slightly larger than the piston member proper so as to provide a shoulder or flange portion It therearound which serves as a stop when the members l0 and I8 are in closed relation, the shoulder 2| abutting the top or uppermost portion of the body member ID in such instance. The head might also be knurled so as to facilitate grasping.

The lowermost portion or bottom surface 22 of the piston is relatively fiat and smooth so as to provide the best piston action when the device is in use, a flat surface 22 cooperating most satisfactorily in the compression action shortly to be described.

The member I8 being circular in shape as is the body portion Ill, each are oscillatablc as to the other although as above stated member l0 might as easily be square in shape or otherwise in which case member l8 would be of corresponding proportionate size and shape.

characteristics thereof.

A feature of this invention resides in the sim plicity of the device and in its design which allows the butter which is contained within the chamber to be emitted through the apertures as the piston member is urged downwardly within the body member thereby compressing the butter therewithin.

The device contains the butter and is held over the ear of corn to be buttered. By lowering the piston member the butter is compressed downwardly and forced through the openings in the bottom wall.

A vacuum is produced by controlling the downward movement of the piston so that at any time.

'' when and if it is desired to stop the fiow of butter through the apertures, it is only necessary to lift upwardly upon the piston. This lifting motion need be but slight in order to produce the desired effect.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A two part device for applying butter to a cylindrical elongated ear of corn comprising in combination, an elongated tubular body having a transverse lower wall and an imperforated side wall providing a cyilindrical axial bore of uniform diameter for butter extending downwardly there- 'n from the upper end thereof to said lower wall and being open at the said upper end of said body, said lower wall having an arcuate lower face complemental to the curvature of an ear of corn and provided with a plurality of spaced openings erethrough for the discharge of butter therethrough, and an elongated plunger of uniform diameter having sides closely corresponding to the sides of the bore of said body so as to fill the same and being receivable in the upper end of said bore and reciprocable therein and provided with a substantially fiat transverse lower end face for acting on butter in said bore, said plunger being of greater length than said bore whereby an upper end portion thereof extends beyond the ipper end of the body when it is in lowermost position in said bore.

2. A two part device for applying butter to a cylindrical elongated ear of corn comprising in combination, an elongated tubular body having a transverse lower wall and an imperforate side wall providing a cylindrical axial bore of uniform diameter for butter extending downwardly there in from the upper end thereof to said lower wall and being open at the said upper end of said body, said lower wall having an arcuate lower face complemental to the curvature of an ear of corn and provided with a plurality of spaced openings therethrough for the discharge of butter therethrough, and an elongated plunger of uniform diameter having sides closely corresponding to the sides of the bore of said body so as to fill the same and being receivable in the upper end of said bore and reciprocable therein and provided with a substantially flat transverse lower end face for acting ontbutter in said bore, said plunger being of greater length than said bore whereby UNITED STATES PATENTS an upper end portion thereof extends beyond the upper end of the body when it is in lowermost ig f g z f gi position in said bore, manually engageable rings 191,864 Kurtz June 12, 1877 provided on said body and plunger adjacent upper 5 1 097 465 Pratt May 19 1914 ends VINCENT VOLPINI 1:213:655 Keil -IIIIIII: Jan. 23: 1917 1,242,404 Werner Oct. 9, 1917 1,253,917 Wern Jan. 15, 1918 REFERENCES CITED 1,893,889 Guerinl Jan. 10, 1933 The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent: 

